Heavy press forging apparatus and method

ABSTRACT

A heavy press forging apparatus and method according to which a contoured lower die in a fixed vertical position is rotated in a horizontal plane relative to a contoured upper die, which is vertically reciprocated to forge a heated blank on the lower die, the contours of the upper and lower dies being formed to the desired shape of opposite sides of a forging. The upper die has a smaller working surface compared to that of the lower die, and the rotating movement of the lower die between vertical forging strokes renders the upper die effective to forge a heated bloom over the entire surface of the lower die.

United States Patent Martin [54] HEAVY PRESS FORGING APPARATUS ANDMETHOD [72] Inventor: Wayne A. Martin, Wilkins Township, Al-

legheny, Pa.

[73] Assignee: United States Steel Corporation [22] Filed: Nov. 28, 1969[211 App]. N0.: 880,628

1 1 Feb. 1,1972

Thohnhill .,72/377 Vencent .,72/448 [5 7] ABSTRACT A heavy press forgingapparatus and method according to which a contoured lower die in a fixedvertical position is rotated in a horizontal plane relative to acontoured upper die, which is vertically reciprocated to forge a heatedblank on the lower die, the contours of the upper and lower dies beingformed to the desired shape of opposite sides of a forging. The upperdie has a smaller working surface compared to that of the lower die, andthe rotating movement of the lower die between vertical forging strokesrenders the upper die effective to forge a heated bloom over the entiresurface of the lower die.

21 Claims, 15 Drawing Figures liIH/G PATENTEB FEB H972 ATTORNEY.

WETEBFEB mm 303.71

snm BF ATTORA/EK HEAVY PRESS FORGING APPARATUS AND METHOD This inventionrelates, as indicated, to a heavy press forge, and, more particularly,to an improved method and apparatus for producing forgings, such aswheels, circular forgings, or forgings of other configurations, whichhave opposite sides thereof shaped to desired contour. In a manner to bedescribed, the improvements of this invention utilize open dieprocedures for producing forgings having the quality and characteristicsof thoseproduced by closed die procedures, and enable their productionon presses which are significantly smaller than those previouslyconsidered necessary.

For purposes of definition, the term heavy press as used herein isintended to mean hydraulic forging presses having a capacity in excessof 2,000 tons and, more specifically, those having capacities in therange of 5,000 to 12,000 tons. Such presses are commonly used with flat,swage or vee dies to forge large ingots into cylindrical forms such asblooms, turbine and generator shafts, rolls, and the like. They are alsoused with closed dies to forge wrought steel railway wheel blanks, andin such case the upper and lower dies are shaped to the contour ofopposite sides of the wheel. Generally stated, wheel forgings havingdiameters of from 26 to 46 inches are forged from rolled blooms of IS toI8 inches in diameter, and require 5,000- to l2,000-ton presses tooperate the closed dies in which they are forged.

One of the principal objects of this invention is to produce circularforgings, or forgings of other shapes, of much larger sizes on smallerpresses than those previously considered necessary. A further andrelated object of the invention is to produce such larger forgings withclose dimensional tolerances that according to previous forgingpractices required closed die procedures.

This invention, more specifically, is especially adapted for producinghigh-temperature turbine bucket wheel forgings that having a diameterand a weight much larger than railway wheels of the size mentionedabove, and to forge them on presses of the same capacity, namely 5,000to 12,000 tons. The use of closed dies for producing bucket wheelshaving a diameter of 2-3 times the diameter of a 46 inch railway wheelthat can be forged in closed dies on a press of [2,000 tons capacitywould require a press having a capacity many times greater. By the sametoken, the forging apparatus and procedures of this invention willenable the production of railway wheels of the size mentioned above onheavy presses having capacities smaller than those previously considerednecessary.

Although this invention is especially suited to the forging of circularshapes, such as turbine bucket wheels, and the following descriptionspecifically describes the invention for this purpose, it will beunderstood that the principles of this invention are applicable toforgings that have other shapes, and that the production of such othershapes are contemplated.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent fromthe following description.

In the drawings, there is shown a preferred embodiment of the invention.In this showing:

FIG. I is a front elevational view which shows the upper and lowerforging dies of this invention in their operative positions on a heavyhydraulic forging press;

- FIG. 2 is a side elevational view taken in a direction looking fromthe right of FIG. 1;

FIGS. Sand 4 are enlarged views taken substantially along the linesIII-III and lV-IV of FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is an elevational view of the indexing table support for thelower die which is taken looking in the direction of the line V-V ofFIG. 3;

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary sectional view, drawn to an enlarged scale,which is taken substantially along the line VIVI of FIG. 3;

FIG. 7 is a fragmentary plan view of the indexing table drive which istaken substantially along the line VII-VII of FIG. 6;

FIG. 8 is an enlarged vertical sectional view showing in detail theconstruction of the upper and lower dies, the section being taken in avertical plane containing the longitudinal centerline of the upper dieand a diameter of the lower die;

FIG. 9 is a view showing schematically by broken lines in side elevationthe contour of a circular forging that is produced by the apparatusshown in the preceding figures, this view further showing in sectionalong a diameter the shape of a bucket wheel which is machined from suchforging;

FIG. 10 is a plan view looking upwardly in the direction of the lineIV-IV in FIG. 1 of one end ofthe upper dieholder;

FIG. II is a sectional view taken longitudinally of the holder shown inFIG. 10 (along the line XIXI of FIG. 10);

FIG. 12 is a sectional view taken along the line XII-'XII of FIG. 10;and

FIGS. 13-15 are fragmentary sectional views drawn to an enlarged scaleand taken respectively along the lines XIII- XIII, XIVXIV and XV-XV ofFIG. 4, which show in detail the shape and contour of the die elementsor inserts that are mounted on the upper dieholder shown in FIGS. l0-l2.

By way of example, the shape of a circular forging F, which may beproduced by the apparatus of this invention, is shown in FIG. 9, andfrom which a bucket wheel W for a turbine to be powered by a nuclearreactor may be machined. In a manner to be described, the forging F hasthe shape and characteristics of a closed die forging, but is producedby open die forging procedures in accordance with the principles of thisinvention. The forging apparatus and procedures of this invention,moreover, enable the production of the forging F on a heavy press ofmuch lower capacity than would be required to produce the forging F byclosed die procedures.

Generally stated, the apparatus of this invention, as shown in thedrawings, comprises a heavy hydraulic press P for moving an upper dieassembly U with respect to alower die assembly L to produce the forgingF from a forged cylindrical bloom B that is supported on the lowerassembly L. The lower die assembly L is mounted on and forms a part ofan indexing table T which is operated to rotate the assembly L todifferent angular positions that render the upper die assembly Ueffective to forge the blank B over the entire die surface of the lowerassembly L and to thereby produce a circular forging F. The constructionof the press P is conventional and has therefore been shown onlyfragmentarily and somewhat diagrammatically in the drawings. Whenoperated with the dies U and L of this invention in a manner to bedescribed, a press P having a capacity of 10,000 tons can be used toproduce a wheel forging F having an outer diameter of approximately I04inches and a weight of approximately 18,000 pounds. From this, it willbe apparent that the forging F is several times larger than the maximumsize of a 46 inches diameter railway wheel that can be produced byclosed die procedures on a heavy press of this size.

The press P comprises a crosshead I that is mounted for guided verticalmovement on columns 2, which are arranged in laterally spaced pairs atopposite sides of a bolster 3 that forms part of the forge and coversthe area between the columns 2 and under the crosshead I. Downwardmovement of the crosshead l to perform a forging operation is effectedby a pair of piston rods or plungers 4 which are actuated hydraulicallyby the usual fluid pressure cylinders or accumulators (not shown)customarily provided for this purpose in heavy presses. After downwardmovement by the piston rods 4 to perform a forging operation, returnmovement of this crosshead I is effected by piston rods 5 which projectupwardly from fluid pressure cylinders 6 at opposite sides of the pressand have their upper ends connected at 7 with the crosshead l. Thestructure of the press P and its operation to perform a forgingoperation as described above are conventional.

In accordance with the principles of this invention, the upper dieassembly U is secured in a fixed position to the crosshead l forvertical movement therewith, and the lower die assembly L is supportedby the table T on the bolster 3 in a vertically fixed and centeredposition under the assembly U. For this purpose, the assembly Ucomprises a forged dieholder 8 that is secured by bolts 9 to the bottomof a false plate 10, which in turn is secured by keybolts 11 to thecrosshead 1. Openings 12 in the false plate and openings 13 in thecrosshead 1 provide access to the ends of the bolts 11 for attachment ofthe false plate 10 to the crosshead 1. The openings 12 in the crossheadfurther cooperate with openings 14 in opposite sides of the dieholder 8to provide access to the bolts 9 for attachment of the holder 8 to thefalse plate 10. The crosshead 1, false plate 10 and dieholder 8 have asymmetrical construction about their respective longitudinalcenterlines, which are located in a common vertical plane that extendscentrally of the space between the columns 2 at opposite sides of thepress. The lower die assembly L comprises a forged dieholder 15, whichhas a circular shape as shown in FIG. 3 and is supported by the table Ton the bolster 3. In the operative forging position of the table T shownin the drawings, the

center axis of the dieholder 15, and of the table T, extends verticallyand intersects with the longitudinal centerline of the upper dieassembly U at a point centrally between opposite ends of the dieholder8.

The table T comprises a stationary supporting member 16 in the form of acylinder which is a forging and is mounted on a flat baseplate 17, themember 16 and plate 17 being secured together by bolts 18 (FIG. 6) atangularly spaced intervals around the circumference of the member 16. Arotatable supporting member 19, which is also in the form of a forgedcylinder, is stacked in a concentric position on the member 16, and hasan upwardly facing cup-shaped or cylindrical recess 20 in which thedieholder is received as shown in FIGS. 5, 6 and 8 of the drawings, thedieholder 15 being secured to the member 19 by bolts 21 atcircumferentially spaced intervals about its peripheral flange 22. Inoperation, the forces generated by a forging operation are transmittedfrom the dieholder 15 through the members l9'and 16 to the baseplate 17and thence to the bolster 3 where they are absorbed in the foundationfor the press P. The cylindrical members 16 and 19 are secured in acentered position relative to each other by an axially extending bolt 23that provides for limited axial movement of the rotatable member 19relative to the stationary supporting member 16, so that the member 19may be elevated and rotated about the bolts 23 in a manner to bedescribed.

An indexing drive for rotating the supporting member 19 and dieholder 15on the stationary supporting member 16 is designated as a whole in thedrawings by the numeral 25. As best shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the indexingdrive 25 comprises a ring gear 26 which is secured to the member 19 andforms the outer race of a ball bearing assembly that includes ballbearings 27 and an inner race 28. The inner race 28 is mounted on theupper end of an annular piston 29 that is supported for verticalmovement in an annular groove 30 machined in the stationary member 16.The bearing parts 26-28 and the annular fluid pressure motor parts 29-30are of course concentric about the axis of the table T to provide forrotation of the member 19 about such axis and the bolt 23. Uponadmission of hydraulic fluid through a suitable control valve (notshown) to the space 31 between the lower end 32 of the piston 29 and thebottom 33 of the groove 30, the piston 29 will move upwardly, and thebearing parts 26-28 will operate to elevate the member 19 with respectto the stationary member 16. A stop 34 limits the upward movement of thepiston 29 and thereby the elevation of the rotatable member 19. Thiselevation of the member 19 need be only a very small amount which issufficient to move it out of frictional engagement with the stationarymember 16 to facilitate its being rotated by the ring gear 26. The nut35 on the upper end of the bolt 23 is axially spaced with respect to thehead 36 at the lower end of the bolt 23 so that the nut 35 will notinterfere with elevation of the member 19. After elevation of the member19, a drive gear 37, which has meshing engagement with the ring gear 26,is operated to change the angular position of the member 19 on theunderlying member 16. The gear 37 is keyed on a drive shaft 38 which isrotated by a fluid pressure motor 40 through speed reduction gearing(not shown) in a housing 39. Operation of the motor 40 is controlled bysuitable indexing controls which can be set to control the movement ofthe member 19 and dieholder 15 to any desired angular position. Indexingdrives for controlling the angular indexing movement of rotary tablesare known, and it will be understood, accordingly, that the specificconstruction of the drive comprising the parts 26-40 forms no part perse of this invention, and that other known indexing drives may be usedfor this purpose, as explained in US. Pat. No. 3,24l,35l to L. A. Hautauet al.

In its operative forgoing position, the table T is supported on thepress bolster 3, with its axis centered under the crosshead 1 and upperdieholder U as best shown in FIGS. 1-3. Movement of the table T to andfrom this position is effected by drawbars 41 and 42, which arecustomarily provided in heavy presses, such as the press P, and areactuated by hydraulic motors (not shown) in push-pull relation formoving anvils to operative forging positions on the bolster 3. Formovement of the table T in this manner, opposite ends of the baseplate16 have connectors 43 and 44 welded thereto. The connector 43 is coupledto the drawbar 42'by a pair of connector pins 45, and the connector 44is coupled to the drawbar 41 through an intermediate connector 46 whichhas pairs of coupling pins 47 and 48 at opposite ends thereof whichrespectively form operating connections between the connector 44 anddrawbar 41. As best shown in FIGS. 3 and 5, a supporting framework 50 ateach of the four corners of the press, which is a part of the floorstructure or foundation of the forge shop, provides skid surfaces 51over which the baseplate 16 may slide to positions at either of oppositesides of the bolster 3. This is necessary in order that the table T maybe removed and replaced on the skid surfaces 51 by the mill crane. Atone end, the sides 52 and 53 of the baseplate 16 converge in a directiontoward the connector 44. As the table T is moved onto bolster 3, theconverging sides 52 and 53 of the baseplate 16 engage with a pair ofstops 54 that are secured in laterally spaced positions on the uppersurface of the bolster 3. The stops 54 have surfaces 55 which engage thesides 52 and 53 of the baseplate 16 and thus operate to both stop themovement of the table T and center its position under the upper dieassembly U. After movement to its operative position in this manner,jack-stands (not shown) are applied against opposite sides of thebaseplate 16 to hold the table T against movement on the bolster 3during a forging operation.

The lower die assembly L comprises the circular dieholder 15 which isbolted to the rotatable supporting member 19 of the table T as describedabove. The dieholder 15 is cupshaped to provide an upwardly facingcircular recess 56 in the bottom of which a circular backing plate 57 isreceived as best shown in FIG. 8. The plate 57 is secured to the holder15 by bolts 58 which have threaded engagement in threaded openings 59 atangularly spaced intervals about the holder 15. An annular die 60, whichis secured to the plate 57 by bolts 61, has an upper surface 62 that isflush with the upper end 63 of the dieholder 15. Metal caps 64 cover theupper ends of the bolts 61 to prevent the metal of a forging fromworking into the openings in which the bolts 61 are received. The upperends of the caps 64 cooperate with the upper end of the die to provide asmooth and continuous die surface 62. The inner peripheral edge 65 ofthe die 60 is curved so that it tapers into the upper surface 66 of thebacking plate 57, which further has a circular die 67 mounted thereon ina centered and concentric position with respect to the annular die 60.The circular die 67 is secured to the backing plate 57 by bolts 61 whichhave caps 64 over their upper ends such as those employed to secure theannular die 60 to the plate 57. The circular die 67 and bolt caps 64provide a circular die surface 68 at the upper end of the die 67. Theperipheral edge 69 of the die 67 is tapered and coverages into the diesurface 66 on the backing plate 57. A center punch 70 projects upwardlyfrom the die surface 68 and is secured in an opening 71 formed in thecircular die 67.

Openings 72 are drilled through the backing plate 57 for the escape ofgas that may be trapped into the space between the dies 67 and 60 duringthe forging operation. The lower ends of the vents 72 are connected byradially extending grooves 73 with axially extending grooves 74 in theouter edges of the backing plate 57 and annular die 60 to vent gas fromthe openings 72 to the atmosphere. The vent openings 72 are furtherconnected with each other by circumferentially extending grooves 76 asbest shown in FIG. 3 of the drawings.

The upper die assembly U comprises the dieholder 8 which is secured tothe crosshead l of the press P by the false plate as described above.The end portions of the holder 8 extending outwardly from its transversecenterline are identical, one.of such end portions being shown in FIGS.8-I0 to illustrate the specific construction of the holder 8. As shownin these figures and in FIG. 4, a dieholder 8 has a rectangular shape,opposite sides 77 of which are parallel and spaced outwardly equaldistances with respect to its longitudinal centerline. Opposite ends ofthe dieholder Shave downwardly extending rims 78, the facing surfaces 79of which have a curvature about the center of the dieholder 8 as aradius, which is the same as the outer radius of the annular die 60. Asbest shown in .FIGS. 4 and 8, a backing plate 80, which has curved ends81 corresponding to the curvature of the surfaces 79, is secured to theholder 8 by bolts 82 with its inner surface 83 abutting against thebottom surface 84 of the dieholder 8. A circular center-die 85 and acenter punch 86 mounted in an opening 86a, which are identical to andconcentrically arranged with respect to the center-die 67 and centerpunch 70 of the lower die, are secured to the backing plate 80 by bolts87. The center-die 85 provides flat circular die surface 88 and taperedside surfaces 89v which are similar to the die surfaces 68 and 69 on thecenter-die 67 of the lower die assembly. At opposite ends of thedieholder 8, dies 90, which preferably have a shape as shown in FIG. 4,are secured to the backing plate 80 by bolts 91. Adjacent ends 92 of thedies 90 are curved as shown in FIG. 14 and taper into the flat surface93 of the backing plate 80. Each of the dies 90 has its opposite sides94 tapered between the flat surface 93 and the surface 95, whichfacesdownwardly opposite'the corresponding and upwardly facing surface62 of the lower die assembly. The die surfaces 95 are flush with thelower ends of the rims 78 at the ends of the holder 8. The backing plate80, as shown in FIG. 4, has a portion removed by flame-cutting alongopposite edges to provide a center portion of reduced dimension betweenopposite sides 96, which are tapered between the backing plate surface93 and the surface 84 of the dieholder 8, the tapered edges96 extendingsubstantially tangentially with respect to oppositesides of the circularcenter die'85. Opposite edges 97 of the backing plate 80 adjacent theircurved ends 81 are tapered in a manner similar to the edges 96.

FIGS. 8-I0 show :the arrangement of the bolt access openings 14 inopposite sides of the dieholder 8. These figures also show the locationof the openings 98 for the bolts 9 which secure the holder 8 to thefalse plate 10, and of the openings 99 for the bolts 82 which secure thebacking plate80 to the holder 8.

As viewed in FIG.\8, it will be noted that the dimension of the upperdie assembly U between the curved surfaces 79 of the holder 8 is thesame as the outer diameter of the annular die 60 and backing plate 57 ofthe lower die assembly L. The width of the ;upper die assembly U betweenits sides 77 as viewed in FIG. 2 is substantially less than the diameterof the die parts of the lower assembly L.- From the above description,and the showing of FIG. 8 in particular, it will be apparent that thecontours of the facing die surfaces on the assemblies U and L, in anyvertical plane parallel to the centerline of the upper assembly U, areidentical. By reason of this, and indexing rotation of the table T aftereach forging stroke of the upper assemblyU by thev press P, it will befurther apparent that opposite faces of the resulting forging F will beidentical. In this respect, and withvreference to the diagrammaticshowing of FIG. 9, it will be noted that the finished forging F has ashape corresponding to that of the space between the facing die surfacesof the upper and lower die assemblies U and L as shown in FIG. 8. Inthis showing, the surfaces of the forging F, which correspond to the diesurfaces shown in FIG. 8, are designated by corresponding numerals andbroken lead lines.

In operation, the upper die assembly U is secured to the crosshead l ofthe press P as described above, and the table T with the lower dieassembly L thereon is carried by the-mill crane to a position at oneside of the space between the posts 2 where it is lowered and supportedon the skid surfaces 51 of the floor structure 50. The drawbars 41 and42 are then coupled to the connectors 43 and 44 as described above formovement of the table T to a position supported on the bolster 3 inwhich it is centered under the upper'die assembly U. Before the table Tis moved to an operative forging position in this manner, thecylindrical block or bloom B, which has been headed to forgingtemperature, is placed in a centered position on the lower die assemblyL, and a circular stoving or upsetting plate S, in the form of aflattened steel disc is placed on the upper end of the bloom B. Steelhooks H extending outwardly from the periphery of the stoving-plate Sfacilitate its handling by the mill crane. With the bloom B and stovingplate S in' this position, the drawbars 41 and 42 are actuated to movethe table T to a centered position under the upper die assembly U asshown in FIG. I. The press P is then operated to lower the crosshead land move the assembly U into pressing engagement with the stoving plateS. The press P is then operated several times to flatten the bloom B onthe die assembly L into a disc having an axial dimension, which is lessthan half that of its initial length, and is a' few inches greater thanthe final hub thickness between the surfaces 93'and 66 of the forging Fas shown in FIG. 9. During initial forging of the bloom B by the stovingplate S in this'manner, the surfaces 66, 69, 68 and 70 of the forging Fwill begin-to take shape.When the metal of the bloom B bridges the spacebetween the lower dies 67 and 60, gas trapped in such space will bevented through the ports 72-74 to the atmosphere, and will thus beineffective to interfere withshaping of the forging F by the diesurfaces of the lower die assembly L.'After the bloom B has beenflattened to the desired extend, the drawbars 41 and 42 are operated towithdraw the table T from underneath the press crosshead l and dieassembly U so that the stoving plate S may be removed by the mill crane.The table T is then returned to its centered and operative forgingposition on the bolster 3 so that the forging operation may be completedby the upper die assembly U.

When the table T is returned to its operative forging posi tion on thebolster 3, the press P is operated to move the assembly U into forgingengagement with the partially forged blankB on the lower assembly L.Initial engagement of the assembly U with the'flattened blank B willbeeffective only to forge a portion of the upper surface of the metal onthe lower assembly L, since it will be recalled that the longitudinalcenterline of the assembly U is positioned over a diameter of theassembly L, while opposite sides 77 of the assembly L are spaced apart adistance considerably less than the diameter of the lower die assemblyL. By reason of this spacing of the sides 77, the upper assembly U maybe characterized as having the shape of a diametral segment in which thesides 77 extending between the curved surfaces 79 at opposite ends ofthe dieholder 8 are in effect chords positioned vertically with respectto chords of the lower circular die assembly L. After the initialforging stroke of the die assembly U to shape the forging, the indexingtable T is rotated for a second forging stroke of the assembly U, whichwill engage the centerline of the upper die surfaces with the forgingalong a line at right angles to its line of engagement therewith duringthe initial forging stroke. Following the second forging stroke, thetable T is rotated 45 for a third stroke, after which the table T isrotated 90 for a fourth forging stroke. The relative angular positionsof the table members 16 and 19 is shown by indicia about the side of therotatable member 19, which expedite rotation under manual control of thelower die assembly L to a desired position relative to the upperassembly U. This pattern of indexing the rotation of the table T for thefirst four strokes of the press is necessary to maintain the circularshape of the forging blank, after which the indexing rotation of thetable T is reduced to about l between each forging operation of thepress P to assure that the die surfaces of the upper assembly U overlapthe area forged on the previous stroke of the press P. The tapered sidesof the die parts, such as the surfaces 94, 96, 97 as described above,are effective to prevent the formation of folds on the surface of theforging as the result of indexing rotation of the table T to rotate theblank B to different angular positions relative to the upper dieassembly U. The forging operation of the press P is continued untilopposite surfaces of the forging F have the desired shape, as determinedby the facing die surfaces of the upper and lower assemblies U and L asshown in FIGS. 8 and 9 of the drawings. After completion of the forgingoperation, the table T is removed from the bolster 3 and the forgedwheel F is then removed therefrom and permitted to cool to a designatedtemperature, after which it is heat-treated and then machined to thefinished size.

Attention is particularly directed to the fact that the facing centerdies 67 and 85 reduce the amount of metal that must be removed to formthe inner surface or bore 101 of the wheel W and, in addition, providean improved forging action on the metal at the corners 102 of the hub ofthe wheel. It will also be noted that the centering points 70 and 86facilitate centering the forging F on the flame cutting machine forremoval of this metal and subsequent formation of the surface 101 on aboring mill. The remaining die surfaces 66-93, 65-92, and 62-95,together with the provision of the rotating indexing table T forrotating the lower die assembly L enable the production of a finishedforging F which requires a minimum amount of machining to produce thehub 103 and the flange or web 104 of the wheel W.

From the foregoing it will be apparent that the forging F, is producedby what is essentially an open die forging procedure, and that this isaccomplished on a heavy press of considerably smaller size than would berequired for a closed die operation. For example, a forging F having asize as indicated above can be produced according to the principles ofthis invention on a 10,000-ton press, and it is estimated that a 40- to50,000-ton press would be required to produce the forging F if closeddie procedures were employed.

Although the above furnishes a description of the invention for theproduction of a bucket wheel W of a specific size for high temperatureturbines, it will be understood that the principles of the invention areapplicable for the production of forgings F of different sizes andshapes, and that a linear movable support conceivably may be substitutedfor the rotatable support provided by the indexing table T in theforging of other shapes.

While one embodiment of my invention has been shown and described, itwill be apparent that adaptations and modifications may be made withoutdeparting from the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. ln :1 heavy press forging method, the steps which comprise supportinga first die in an upwardly facing fixed vertical position, supporting asecond die in downwardly facing fixed horizontal position, providingsaid dies with working surfaces respectively having substantiallydifferent sizes, reciprocating said second die over a vertical path toforge a blank on the said working surface of said first die, androtating said first die horizontally between successive forging strokesof said second die to render said second die effective to forge saidblank over the entire surface of said first die.

2. The method defined in claim 1 characterized by forming said first diewith a circular working surface and mounting it for rotational movementabout a vertical axis extending through the center of said circularworking surface and through the center of the said working surface ofsaid second die.

3. The method defined in claim 2 characterized by forming the saidworking surface of said second die in the shape of a diametral segmentwith its longitudinal centerline in a vertical plane containing adiameter of said circular working surface in all rotational positions ofsaid first die.

4. A heavy press forge comprising, in combination, a hydraulic presshaving a vertically movable crosshead, an upper die secured to saidcrosshead for vertical movement therewith, a lower die supported in avertically fixed position underneath said upper die, said dies havingworking surfaces respectively contoured to the shapes of opposite sidesof the forging to be produced thereby, the said working surface of saidlower die having an area larger than the area of the working surface ofsaid upper die, and means for rotating said lower die horizontally torender said upper die effective to forge a blank over the entire area ofthe said working surface of said lower die.

5. A forge as defined in claim 4 characterized by the said workingsurface of said lower die being circular.

6. The forge defined in claim 5 characterized further by the saidcircular working surface of said lower die having a vertical axis, andby said upper die having the shape of a diametral segment with itslongitudinal centerline intersecting said vertical axis and lying in avertical plane containing a diameter of said lower die working surface.

7. The forge defined in claim 6 characterized further by said movingmeans comprising means for rotating said lower die about said verticalaxis, said rotating means being operated between forging strokes of saidhydraulic press crosshead,

8. In a forging apparatus, the combination with a heavy press of thetype having a bottom bolster, a pair of laterally spaced guide columnsextending upwardly at each of the opposite sides of said bolster, acrosshead mounted for vertical movement on said guide columns, andhydraulic means for moving said crosshead on said columns, of an upperdie mounted in a fixed position on said crosshead for vertical movementtherewith, said upper die being symmetrically positioned on saidcrosshead with its longitudinal centerline extending centrally betweeneach of said pairs of columns, a lower die, said lower die having aworking surface shaped to the contour of one side of the forging to beproduced thereby, said upper die having a working surface the area ofwhich is smaller than the area of the said working surface of said upperdie, and means mounting said lower die on said bolster including meansfor rotating it horizontally relative to said upper die to render saidupper die effective to work a forging over the entire working surface ofsaid lower die.

9. In a forging apparatus, the combination with a heavy press of thetype having a bottom bolster, a pair of laterally spaced guide columnsextending upwardly at each of the opposite sides of said bolster, acrosshead mounted for vertical movement on said guide columns, andhydraulic means for moving said crosshead on said columns, of a rotaryindexing table mounted under said crosshead with its axis extendingvertically and centrally with respect thereto, said table comprising abase in a fixed position on said bolster under said crosshead, adieholder supported on said base for rotational movement about saidvertical axis, a circular lower die mounted on said dieholder in aconcentric position with respect to said axis, and means for rotatingsaid dieholder and said lower die about said axis, and an upper diemounted on said crosshead with its longitudinal centerline arrangedvertically above and parallel to a diameter of said lower die, saidrotating means being operated between forging operations of said upperdie by said crosshead to rotate said lower die and render said upper dieeffective to work a forging over the entire surface of said lower die.

10. Forging apparatus as defined in claim 9 characterized by said tablecomprising a cylindrical supporting member mounted on said base in aconcentric position with respect to said vertical table axis, meansmounting said dieholder on said member, and means for elevating saidmember with respect to said base to render said rotating means effectiveto rotate said member and said dieholder about said vertical axis.

ll. An apparatus as defined in claim 9 characterized by said upper diehaving the shape of a diametral segment with opposite sides thereofspaced outwardly from and parallel to its said centerline.

[2. An apparatus as defined in claim 11 characterized by said upper andlower dies respectively including circular central die elements forforming circular recesses on opposite sides of and centrally of the hubof a wheel forged by said dies.

13. An apparatus as defined in claim 12 characterized further by each ofsaid central die elements having a center punch projecting axiallyoutwardly therefrom for forming center points in opposite sides thewheel forged thereby.

14. The apparatus defined in claim 12 characterized by said lower diehaving an annular die element mounted concentrically of its said centraldie element for shaping one side of the flange of said wheel.

15. The apparatus defined in claim 12 characterized by said upper diehaving a pair of die elements at opposite ends thereof and respectivelyspaced outwardly with respect to its said central die element, said pairof die elements being effective for shaping the other side of the flangeof said wheel.

l6 In a forging apparatus, the combination with a heavy press of thetype having a bottom bolster, a pair of laterally spaced guide columnsextending upwardly at each of the opposite sides of said bolster, acrosshead mounted for vertical movement on said guide columns, andhydraulic means for moving said crosshead on said columns, of a rotaryindexing table comprising a baseplate, a supporting member secured tosaid baseplate, a dieholder supported on said supporting member forrotational movement about a vertical axis, a circular lower die mountedon said dieholder in a concentric position with respect to said axis,and means for rotating said dieholder and said lower die about saidaxis, an upper die mounted on said crosshead with its longitudinalcenterline extending centrally of the space between each of said pairsof columns, said rotating means being operative to rotate said dieholderand lower die a predetermined angular distance between downward forgingoperations of said upper die by said crosshead, and means supportingsaid table for horizontal movement to an operative forging position onsaid bolster with said vertical axis centered under said longitudinalcenterline.

l7. Forging apparatus as defined in claim 16 characterized by saidbaseplate supporting means comprising horizontal skid surfaces overwhich said baseplate moves with a sliding action to said operativeforging position on said baseplate.

l8. Forging apparatus as defined in claim 17 characterized by theprovision of means in the path of movement of said table over said skidsurfaces for stopping it in said operative forging position.

19. Forging apparatus as defined in claim 18 characterized by said tablestopping means comprising a pair of laterally spaced stops on saidbolster, and by said baseplate having angularly converging sides formovement between and into engagement with said stops to stop themovement of said table and center it in said operative forging position.

20. In a forge of the character described, the combination with a heavypress having a vertically movable crosshead and a bottom bolster, and anupper die secured to said crosshead for vertical movement therewith, ofa rotary indexing table mounted on said bolster in a centered positionunder said crosshead, a lower die mounted on said table for rotationthereby, and means for operating said table to rotate said lower dierelative to said upper die.

21. In a forge of the character described, the combination with a heavypress having a vertically movable crosshead, of a rotary indexing tablecentered under said crosshead, upper and lower dies respectively mountedon said crosshead and indexing table, said upper die being secured in afixed position on said crosshead for vertical movement therewith, saidindexing table having an axis extending vertically and centrally withrespect to said crosshead and the said upper die mounted thereon, andmeans for operating said indexing table to rotate said lower dierelative to said upper die.

1. In a heavy press forging method, the steps which comprise supportinga first die in an upwardly facing fixed vertical position, supporting asecond die in downwardly facing fixed horizontal position, providingsaid dies with working surfaces respectively having substantiallydifferent sizes, reciprocating said second die over a vertical path toforge a blank on the said working surface of said first die, androtating said first die horizontally between successive forging strokesof said second die to render said second die effective to forge saidblank over the entire surface of said first die.
 2. The method definedin claim 1 characterized by forming said first die with a circularworking surface and mounting it for rotational movement about a verticalaxis extending through the center of said circular working surface andthrough the center of the said working surface of said second die. 3.The method defined in claim 2 characterized by forming the said workingsurface of said second die in the shape of a diametral segment with itslongitudinal centerline in a vertical plane containing a diameter ofsaid circular working surface in all rotational positions of said firstdie.
 4. A heavy press forge comprising, in combination, a Hydraulicpress having a vertically movable crosshead, an upper die secured tosaid crosshead for vertical movement therewith, a lower die supported ina vertically fixed position underneath said upper die, said dies havingworking surfaces respectively contoured to the shapes of opposite sidesof the forging to be produced thereby, the said working surface of saidlower die having an area larger than the area of the working surface ofsaid upper die, and means for rotating said lower die horizontally torender said upper die effective to forge a blank over the entire area ofthe said working surface of said lower die.
 5. A forge as defined inclaim 4 characterized by the said working surface of said lower diebeing circular.
 6. The forge defined in claim 5 characterized further bythe said circular working surface of said lower die having a verticalaxis, and by said upper die having the shape of a diametral segment withits longitudinal centerline intersecting said vertical axis and lying ina vertical plane containing a diameter of said lower die workingsurface.
 7. The forge defined in claim 6 characterized further by saidmoving means comprising means for rotating said lower die about saidvertical axis, said rotating means being operated between forgingstrokes of said hydraulic press crosshead.
 8. In a forging apparatus,the combination with a heavy press of the type having a bottom bolster,a pair of laterally spaced guide columns extending upwardly at each ofthe opposite sides of said bolster, a crosshead mounted for verticalmovement on said guide columns, and hydraulic means for moving saidcrosshead on said columns, of an upper die mounted in a fixed positionon said crosshead for vertical movement therewith, said upper die beingsymmetrically positioned on said crosshead with its longitudinalcenterline extending centrally between each of said pairs of columns, alower die, said lower die having a working surface shaped to the contourof one side of the forging to be produced thereby, said upper die havinga working surface the area of which is smaller than the area of the saidworking surface of said upper die, and means mounting said lower die onsaid bolster including means for rotating it horizontally relative tosaid upper die to render said upper die effective to work a forging overthe entire working surface of said lower die.
 9. In a forging apparatus,the combination with a heavy press of the type having a bottom bolster,a pair of laterally spaced guide columns extending upwardly at each ofthe opposite sides of said bolster, a crosshead mounted for verticalmovement on said guide columns, and hydraulic means for moving saidcrosshead on said columns, of a rotary indexing table mounted under saidcrosshead with its axis extending vertically and centrally with respectthereto, said table comprising a base in a fixed position on saidbolster under said crosshead, a dieholder supported on said base forrotational movement about said vertical axis, a circular lower diemounted on said dieholder in a concentric position with respect to saidaxis, and means for rotating said dieholder and said lower die aboutsaid axis, and an upper die mounted on said crosshead with itslongitudinal centerline arranged vertically above and parallel to adiameter of said lower die, said rotating means being operated betweenforging operations of said upper die by said crosshead to rotate saidlower die and render said upper die effective to work a forging over theentire surface of said lower die.
 10. Forging apparatus as defined inclaim 9 characterized by said table comprising a cylindrical supportingmember mounted on said base in a concentric position with respect tosaid vertical table axis, means mounting said dieholder on said member,and means for elevating said member with respect to said base to rendersaid rotating means effective to rotate said member and said dieholderabout said vertical axis.
 11. An apparatus as defined in claim 9charactErized by said upper die having the shape of a diametral segmentwith opposite sides thereof spaced outwardly from and parallel to itssaid centerline.
 12. An apparatus as defined in claim 11 characterizedby said upper and lower dies respectively including circular central dieelements for forming circular recesses on opposite sides of andcentrally of the hub of a wheel forged by said dies.
 13. An apparatus asdefined in claim 12 characterized further by each of said central dieelements having a center punch projecting axially outwardly therefromfor forming center points in opposite sides the wheel forged thereby.14. The apparatus defined in claim 12 characterized by said lower diehaving an annular die element mounted concentrically of its said centraldie element for shaping one side of the flange of said wheel.
 15. Theapparatus defined in claim 12 characterized by said upper die having apair of die elements at opposite ends thereof and respectively spacedoutwardly with respect to its said central die element, said pair of dieelements being effective for shaping the other side of the flange ofsaid wheel.
 16. In a forging apparatus, the combination with a heavypress of the type having a bottom bolster, a pair of laterally spacedguide columns extending upwardly at each of the opposite sides of saidbolster, a crosshead mounted for vertical movement on said guidecolumns, and hydraulic means for moving said crosshead on said columns,of a rotary indexing table comprising a baseplate, a supporting membersecured to said baseplate, a dieholder supported on said supportingmember for rotational movement about a vertical axis, a circular lowerdie mounted on said dieholder in a concentric position with respect tosaid axis, and means for rotating said dieholder and said lower dieabout said axis, an upper die mounted on said crosshead with itslongitudinal centerline extending centrally of the space between each ofsaid pairs of columns, said rotating means being operative to rotatesaid dieholder and lower die a predetermined angular distance betweendownward forging operations of said upper die by said crosshead, andmeans supporting said table for horizontal movement to an operativeforging position on said bolster with said vertical axis centered undersaid longitudinal centerline.
 17. Forging apparatus as defined in claim16 characterized by said baseplate supporting means comprisinghorizontal skid surfaces over which said baseplate moves with a slidingaction to said operative forging position on said baseplate.
 18. Forgingapparatus as defined in claim 17 characterized by the provision of meansin the path of movement of said table over said skid surfaces forstopping it in said operative forging position.
 19. Forging apparatus asdefined in claim 18 characterized by said table stopping meanscomprising a pair of laterally spaced stops on said bolster, and by saidbaseplate having angularly converging sides for movement between andinto engagement with said stops to stop the movement of said table andcenter it in said operative forging position.
 20. In a forge of thecharacter described, the combination with a heavy press having avertically movable crosshead and a bottom bolster, and an upper diesecured to said crosshead for vertical movement therewith, of a rotaryindexing table mounted on said bolster in a centered position under saidcrosshead, a lower die mounted on said table for rotation thereby, andmeans for operating said table to rotate said lower die relative to saidupper die.
 21. In a forge of the character described, the combinationwith a heavy press having a vertically movable crosshead, of a rotaryindexing table centered under said crosshead, upper and lower diesrespectively mounted on said crosshead and indexing table, said upperdie being secured in a fixed position on said crosshead for verticalmovement therewith, said indexing table having an axis extendingvertically and centrally with respect to said crossheaD and the saidupper die mounted thereon, and means for operating said indexing tableto rotate said lower die relative to said upper die.